A Note From Chuck

This morning, while doing the final round of error correction of the previous post with my lovely wife/proofreader MissMonkay, it became evident to the both of us that my passion for writing has withered. The construction was lazy, the analysis was half hearted and I had absolutely no desire put in the effort to fix even the most obvious of grammatical and spelling errors. Over the last six months, inspiration has been hard for me to come by and execution of the ideas that do come have failed to meet my standards.

I've always said that when the time comes that I don't love doing this, I'm going to stop.

Today is that day.

I have a number of articles in the queue to finish, upon the completion of which I will be taking a hiatus from writing in order to recharge my creative juices. I could return in two weeks, two months, two years or never... I don't really know.

Other than not seeing my byline in blog articles or features, this website will continue to operate as it (ab)normally does. I will still be answering emails, moderating comments, operating the Twitter account and posting any articles that my beloved MikeE, JohnH, Misnomer, Blackjacker and Mac78130 submit. I might spend some time trying to wrangle the long in process responsive website redesign that ate my life.

Additionally, I've filed for a temporary leave of absence from the Vegas Gang Podcast. I love Hunter and Dave like brothers, and look forward to rejoining them on the greatest Vegas podcast ever as soon as I can.

VIMFP is still happening and I will be posting news updates about that stuff as available.

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Comments & Discussion:

Chuck, we love you and appreciate all the great writing and hard work you have put into this site. I'm sure we all want you to be happy and doing work you love. Enjoy your time away, and I hope we see you around. I am still expecting you here in 2020 for the opening of Venetian Tokyo (or who knows, maybe it will be Venetian Osaka) where I plan to buy you a shitload of drinks for all the enjoyment you have brought to me.

So does anyone else remember that scene in 'Pump Up The Volume' when happy harry hard-on goes off the air and the punk stoner dude tells the other listeners on the high school football field that he could be gone for minutes, hours, even weeks?

Chuck, I hope that you are able to recoil and recharge and rediscover that which you and inevitably all of us have in our somewhat unhealthy relationship with the town that was literally designed to bleed us dry, but leave us smiling before, during, and after.

This isn't the first time you've gone off-air. And I sincerely hope it isn't a final goodbye.
The annual Family reunion won't be the same without you.

Writing is easy. Writing well is a whole different story. Freshen up and let your brain cells recover. Meanwhile crack the whip on this entertaining crew of yours to keep this hungry audience satisfied.

Hi Chuck, just wanted to add a few comments, thanks again for so much insightful and fun content over the years. Hopefully you'll be able to recharge, but 10 years is a lot of time to spend doing something and sometimes we just get tired of it period. I can see that even in my fascination with Las Vegas, I still love it, but after 10+ years of participating in forums, planning for a trip, reading everything I can get my hands on, it just sort of became too much work, which means I do much less of it anymore, So I can understand how all of that writing is even harder to maintain at a high level for a long period of time.

I'm looking forward to seeing you and everyone at #vimfp though, one of the reasons I wanted to return is I know that events like this are a hell of a lot of work to put together, and you might as well take advantage of it when it's being offered.

jimmybond posted on Friday, 15th August 2014 - 8:13 am

Just want to say good luck, recharge, and hope we can see you publishing again. I really hope this site can continue to post new *quality* content (aka the analysis of leaked renderings, rather than the humour articles from Misnomer etc - no offense to Misnomer, I just find more value out of the former rather than the latter!)

One of my favorites for following new developments in Vegas was "Vegas Today and Tomorrow" which effectively shuttered but had awesome articles before that. With so much new development on the way on the north end of the Strip (Resorts World, Packer's venture, Fontainebleu?, SLS opening, etc.) would be great to continue to see that kind of original insight and content on here. Take care.

Chuck, you are a great talent and I thank you for enhancing my overall Las Vegas experience whether I am sitting at the Long Bar at the D or out in my backyard in the suburbs of Chicago. I appreciate everything that you have done in regards to VIMFP which resulted in me meeting many new friends that will always be a part of my Vegas mindset. I was also honored to be in attendance for the live recording during VT10. I hope you can regroup, decompress, and choose the direction that suits you the best. Hugs.

Simply put: I would not love Vegas and travel to Vegas the way I do if not for Chuck and this website. From the time I initially found this website, I knew Chuck was a supremely intelligent and insightful individual with a unique perspective. Best of luck, Chuck.

bd9902 posted on Friday, 15th August 2014 - 12:10 pm

Good luck, man. I'm one the verge of the same thing, just a different line of work...

Chuck, thanks for everything. You've built one hell of a website and community that's filled with people who are all equally crazy about Vegas. As DoubleD pointed out, Vegas just wouldn't be the same VT. Take all the time you need and good luck with everything; if/when you come back, we'll all be here cheering you on from the sidelines.

MattK posted on Friday, 15th August 2014 - 1:13 pm

Take a rest, sir. Well earned. Don't worry about a permanent loss of interest in writing or in Vegas; the Vegas itch is like Chicken Pox. Even when the symptoms aren't there it's still in the bloodstream. Then it comes back as Shingles.

After getting over the initial surprise of the announcement, it makes sense. This site, along with its' sister sites has been your job for many years now and keeping a site running is a challenge, especially when the bulk of the load is on you, and wears you down. You've taken a few breaks to recharge and refresh in recent years, and I recall you've had some times in the last few years in which you were suffering some burn out on the Vegas front and almost packed it in.

There are enough hands on deck to continue to provide the content that the site is known for, and that long-term benefits you as you don't have to be pressured to come up with content for the site. When it comes to content, quality will always trump quantity. There are enough Vegas sites in which poorly written content that is of marginal interest flows like water from a faucet. Trying to generate quality content is tough, as I've been wanting to put together a review of my stay at Trump International. but just can't seem to come up with a good opening for it.

So this is actually pretty awesome. As in, you have built up this site, made your own career, developed and attracted content talent and now, you get to take a sabbatical from content creation. I like it when the good guys win, and I'm a little jealous.
We should all remember that at his very core, Chuck is an artist, and sometimes when artistic creativity is given a break, something fabulous happens. I plan on being the first to sign up for the www.BransonTripping.com site as soon as it comes on line. :)

mastacaplasta posted on Saturday, 16th August 2014 - 5:44 am

Chuckmonster,
long time reader since i was in my teens, you are on the Mount Rushmore of Vegas related experiences and opinions...you, Hunter Hillegas, MikeE and Hunter S. Thompson. Sad to see misnomer ruin a great tribute to a vegas legend like yourself with the normal uncreative "flair" that is it's normal self. Misnomer shut the fuck up with your shitty uncreative bullshit...misnomer you are the colin quinn after NORM MACDONALD left the Weekend update desk. I love you chuckmonster and hope to see your posts as soon as its possible.

Wow ... let me say Thank you Mr Monster ! I've been following your site for a long time and it lead me to the Vegas Gang and Five Hundy, as well as reassuring me that there were other people out there who loved Vegas as much as I do. Hopefully I will be able to buy you a drink at VIMFP this year as a small token of gratitude for the hours of enjoyment you have given me. You Rock Chuck !

I too am one of those who start seeing Vegas in a different way after reading the articles of VT. You bring not the typical info you find on any other Vegas Manual. The info here is gold and I hope you come back revitalized to continue with this great site. Thank you, Chuck!

DWSH001 posted on Monday, 18th August 2014 - 12:33 pm

Message for a lurker...

Chuck -- have always enjoyed the page and the efforts all have made to keep us up to date when I need a Vegas fix but can't quite make the trip.

Have a great break for this and I look forward to you coming back recharged!!!

johnlowery posted on Tuesday, 19th August 2014 - 12:25 pm

Chuck, we hope that you are able to recharge your writing batteries and rekindle the passion for Vegas writing that inspired so many others.

One of your greatest contributions is the creation of a site that is more than just one person. VegasTripping is a community and will continue on until your return (but that is not to say that your writing won't be missed by many)!

Sorry to hear about this Chuck. Can't say that I couldn't see it coming (I posted a Where's Chuck message on the board a few months ago).
It's nice when a creative person makes the decision to stop when the muse had left. If Bob Dylan did that, we wouldn't have had any of those God or covers albums. I hope someday to read more posts from you. Those just might be your Love & Theft's and Modern Times.

Kathryn posted on Wednesday, 20th August 2014 - 11:45 am

Chuck - If you return after this break, that would be cool but if you decide not to, that's cool too. Take care of yourself and give yourself some time.

dpo1013 posted on Wednesday, 20th August 2014 - 4:31 pm

Wow- Some people will do anything to get out of having to tour the new SLS Vegas. Thanks for the years.

Chuck - thanks for all your work creating this awesome community. Your writing has been great. Always fun to read and enjoy. I love all the posters here, tongue normally planted firmly in cheek by all. Thanks again for making Vegas more fun and seeing the lighter side of life. I wish you the best and hope someday we hear from you again.